supersonic transport

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supersonic transport

aviation

Also known as: SST

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July 14, 2026

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Supersonic transport (SST) refers to aircraft designed to fly faster than the speed of sound, known as Mach 1. The speed of sound varies with atmospheric conditions but is approximately 760 miles per hour at sea level.1

The first supersonic passenger jet was the Soviet Tupolev Tu-144, which began mail service in 1975. The Concorde, a joint British and French project, entered regular passenger service in 1976, reaching speeds of Mach 2.04 (about 1,354 mph) before its retirement in 2003. Flying at supersonic speeds generates a sonic boom, a shock wave heard on the ground. While military aircraft commonly fly at supersonic speeds, commercial supersonic transport has faced challenges.12

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aerospace industry
Growth of the aircraft industry
…and risks in producing a supersonic transport (SST), the Concorde. The two countries were not alone in the race for a supersonic airliner. The Soviet Union built the delta-wing Tupolev Tu-144, which made its maiden flight in December 1968 and which in June 1969 was the first passenger jet to…
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…and risks in producing a supersonic transport (SST), the Concorde. The two countries were not alone in the race for a supersonic airliner. The Soviet Union built the delta-wing Tupolev Tu-144, which made its maiden flight in December 1968 and which in June 1969 was the first passenger jet to…
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aerospace engineering
Aeronautical engineering
…limited the success of the supersonic civil transport, the appeal of reduced traveling time justifies the examination of a second generation of supersonic aircraft.
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…limited the success of the supersonic civil transport, the appeal of reduced traveling time justifies the examination of a second generation of supersonic aircraft.
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ozone depletion
History
…of a fleet of American supersonic transports (SSTs). They feared that the potential emission of nitrogen oxides and water vapour from these aircraft would damage the ozone layer. (SSTs were designed to fly at altitudes coincident with the ozone layer, some 15 to 35 km [9 to 22 miles] above…
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…of a fleet of American supersonic transports (SSTs). They feared that the potential emission of nitrogen oxides and water vapour from these aircraft would damage the ozone layer. (SSTs were designed to fly at altitudes coincident with the ozone layer, some 15 to 35 km [9 to 22 miles] above…
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supersonic flight
The first supersonic transport (SST) was the Soviet Tupolev Tu-144, which had its first supersonic flight in June 1969 and began flying mail between Moscow and Alma-Ata (Almaty) in 1975. The first supersonic passenger-carrying commercial airplane, the Concorde, was built jointly by aircraft manufacturers in Great Britain…
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The first supersonic transport (SST) was the Soviet Tupolev Tu-144, which had its first supersonic flight in June 1969 and began flying mail between Moscow and Alma-Ata (Almaty) in 1975. The first supersonic passenger-carrying commercial airplane, the Concorde, was built jointly by aircraft manufacturers in Great Britain…
Read More